Page 35 of Breaking the Rules

TWENTY-NINE

“Look at you sore,” Noble huffed, rubbing Savanhi’s back.

“I’m sore, but it’s not from what you think it’s from.”

“It’s not from you jumping rope after everyone and their mother told your ass to sit down?” Noble asked, quirking a brow.

“Nope. I just need water,” Savanhi hummed. “I’ve tried to go down and get it, and you won’t let me.”

“Thirteen weeks pregnant, two back-to-back games, a full family day, a recital, you don’t know how to sit still or take a day off. Yeah, your body is sore because you’re doing too damn much,” Noble fussed.

“I’m trying to do as much as I can before I have this baby. I’m not gonna want to do anything else but lie in bed and stare at it. And plus if I ran away when I wanted to, I’d be working harder than I am now,” Savanhi sassed, earning her a tap on her ass, coaxing a giggle from her. “Ouch.”

“You know good and damn well I would’ve been in that club every damn night crackin’ niggas,” Noble stated.

“Something is wrong with you,” Savanhi laughed, rolling over to peer up at him.

“You love that shit.”

“You know I do. My protector.”

“My Sassy. I need you to take a nap. I’ll get your water. Okay?”

“Okay,” she hummed, her eyes floating closed.

Noble kissed her face, then her belly, and slipped out of the room. Easing down the stairs, he found their family hard at work, well, there were supposed to be.

Lawryn was glaring at Sincere, who had a light blue and pink flag tied around his neck. The same flags were scattered around with the balloons and flowers. Remi was bent over laughing while Areli skipped and danced through the décor.

“Y’all know she’s going to be up in thirty minutes,” Noble fussed.

“Noble, why’d you let this dumbass buy the décor?” Lawryn hissed.

“He wanted to,” Noble defended.

Lawryn snatched a flag off the table. “That would be fine, Noble, if the fool actually did some shit right. Look around your house. Look at all these flags.”

Remi hooped louder, wiping tears from her eyes.

Noble looked around, confused. “It’s a gender reveal.”

“For who? The baby or him?” Lawryn asked.

“Why would he need to have a gender reveal?” Noble asked, still puzzled, before Remi screeched.

“My dumbass brother bought transgender flags for a baby reveal,” Remi threw her head back and cackled.

“Now don’t get me wrong, we love and support the community, but how did he confuse gender reveal with these?!” Lawryn fussed, stomping away. “I swear he gets on my fuckin’ nerves! Always doing some dumb ass shit.”

Sincere looked at the flag tied around his neck. “I’m a nigga with or without the flag, you just being dramatic like you always are.”

“No, you’re stupid,” Remi shared, wiping her eyes.

Noble looked at Sincere and blinked in astonishment. “I just need to know where you got all the flags from.”

“Rainbow City. The sign said we got flags for everything, for your pride.”

“Nigga!” Noble roared with laughter. “You got to stop smokin’ so much. It’s literally Pride Month. You’re never surviving these allegations, and I’m not going to save you from them either. Freaky is finna hit your line.”

“Fuck all y’all,” Sincere quipped. “The flag matches my ‘fit. Happy Pride!”

Areli stopped her solo party and frowned. “Hey!”

“Not you, babygirl. Your uncle daddy,” Sincere grumbled, spinning around with the flag floating with him.

Once Sincere was out of the room, everyone started cackling again.

Lawryn ensured she stayed away from him, and Remi went back to helping Areli finish decorating.

Right on the dot, Savanhi was up and dressed in the outfit Noble left on the bed.

She eased down the stairs in confusion at all the flags.

“Is there something someone wanted to tell me?” Savanhi asked, finding Sincere proudly standing by Noble, who pushed him away.

“I am coming out as a real nigga and everyone in the house …haters.”

Savanhi burst out laughing. She spotted the pink and blue balloons. “Is this a gender reveal party?”

“Yes, and I foolishly let Sincere be in charge of decorating. He walked out of Rainbow City with bags full of his truth,” Noble shared, finding it amazing his best friend was so out of touch.

And the way he didn’t take the flag from around his neck or make a wayward comment also proved that Sincere had a softer, empathic side he never displayed.

Savanhi shook her head. “Well, we do love to gworls, congratulations, Sincere.”

“Don’t make me get on your nerves so the kid comes out looking like me,” Sincere threatened with a wide smile on his face.

“Nigga never,” Noble stated, meeting his lady. He kissed her. “You like it?”

Savanhi was happy and amused. “Yes I do. I really like Sincere’s dedication to this.”

“I knew someone would,” he grumbled, chomping on a pink cupcake. “Let’s get to it, though I’m so high right now. I’ll eat the table.”

“You’ll eat anything,” Lawryn grumbled, making Savanhi’s eyebrows rise.

She wrapped her arms around Noble’s waist. “Sincere just bit into the reveal cupcake. Look.”

Sincere pulled the cupcake away, licking the frosting off his fingers and grunting. “Shit, y’all having a boy.”

Areli erupted in cheers, Remi threw her hands up, and Noble ignored Sincere’s antics and beamed with happiness. Sincere would forever be Sincere, but the love that flowed through this house was priceless. Even Lawryn’s attitude was rooted in love.

“You happy?” Savanhi asked, hoisted in the air, peering down at him.

“Hell yeah. Next gender reveal, I’ll hire someone, though,” Noble grumbled. They shared a laugh and a kiss. “Let me feed you before he fucks up that, too. There’s like two cupcakes left only because Areli popped his hand.”

“I don’t know, Sincere’s ridiculousness helped make this special. Are you going to ask him to be the godfather?”

“I don’t know. He and Lawryn beefing, could you imagine them watching our kids?” Noble asked with a dry laugh, appearing stressed already.

“Baby, they will be well-rounded. Rapping, tattooing, weed rolling, well-rounded children,” Savanhi shared, laughing. “I think regardless of what they’ve got going on, they’ll be good to our children if something happens to us.”

“You got a point,” Noble said, kissing the top of her head. “I don’t want to think of us not being around to watch them grow. You wanna play a game?”

“What’s the prize?” Savanhi asked with a smirk.

“A good laugh while clocking their tea,” Noble snorted. “Areli is raising us.”

“She is. Divide and conquer, we’ll compare notes tonight?”

Noble tapped her ass like they were breaking out of a huddle. “Yeah, after I rub then knots out.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Savanhi spoke, kissing him before turning to walk away.

Once the girls had gone off in their corner to get the info out of Lawryn, Noble stood by Sincere on the patio and asked, “What’s good with you and Lawryn?”

“Ain’t shit. We were fuckin’ around, she caught feelings, and I left her ass right there.”

Noble looked down his nose at him and scoffed. “You a lyin’ ass nigga but okay.”

“I’m not lyin’,” Sincere countered. “I’m not doing that feelings shit.”

“You are lyin’, you a lyin’ muhfucka. Especially when it comes to women.

You get the good ones indulge and the minute shit gets too damn real for you, you drop them.

And now you’ve got that to deal with. Law is the most down-to-earth person, and she’s mad as hell at you.

Which means you did some fuck shit. Don’t fuck up a good woman because you scared, nigga. ”

“Ain’t nobody scared.” Sincere scoffed.

“Oh okay. Shit, you say,” Noble finalized. “You’re going to be sick when she moves on. Tore up. And you know what I’m gonna do?”

“Don’t care,” Sincere quipped as Noble took a picture of him.

“I’ll save this and remind you of how fuckin’ dumb you look. It’s time to grow up, man. For real.”